


Bonded Across Dimensions

by Bionic_Egypt



Series: Bonded by Pain [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Because I'm Olivarry trash, Didn't want to add it to the other story, Literally I just added mentions of Oliver every chance I could, M/M, Most of the dialogue is taken right from Welcome to Earth Two and Escape from Earth Two, Part of my Bonded by Pain story, Soulmate AU, Soulmates feel each other's pain, The summary for that one is starting to not make sense anymore, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 14:45:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13766364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bionic_Egypt/pseuds/Bionic_Egypt
Summary: The moment his feet touched down on Earth 2, Barry felt . . . off. It was like something was missing, like his heart had been torn right out of his chest. Why did he feel so empty? Maybe his soul bond hadn't transferred to this new Earth?





	Bonded Across Dimensions

**Author's Note:**

> You know what, fuck it. I was planning on writing a fic during the point where Barry got his back snapped, but this was already finished, so I'm posting it. The other one will happen eventually, just not right now.
> 
> So, few things to note here. There is a lot of dialogue taken from the Earth 2 episodes of the Flash, so keep that in mind. This takes place in my Bonded by Pain AU, where Oliver and Barry are soulmates who share each other’s pain. Since Barry and Oliver are together, but also not really (it’s like they’re almost dating, but they haven’t really done any dating-like things other than hang out twice a month) Barry hasn’t actually told Oliver how he feels. He’s implied it a lot, but he’s never said it outright. And I do switch between the two Barrys at one point, because Earth 1 Barry is trapped by Zoom for a bit while interesting things happen to the other Barry, and I wanted to show what was happening with him.
> 
> Also, am I the only one who finds it hilarious that Deadshot sucks at shooting on Earth 2? Like, I know it was played up for comedic effect, but it succeeded. Anyway, my little rant aside, please enjoy Bonded Across Dimensions.

"You know, you haven't made lasagna since I left for college?"

 

"College is a hell of a lot closer than another Earth."

 

Barry leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, sighing. He, Cisco, and Wells were going to Earth 2 the next day to find Jessie and hopefully stop Zoom. Barry knew it would be dangerous, more so than anything he'd done before, but he had to go. He had to help Wells save his daughter. Only then would everything finally settle down. Only then could he finally get his life back on track.

 

"Hey," Joe continued, pointing a finger at Barry "did you tell Henry?"

 

"No. If he knew, he"d just try to talk me out of it, and he probably would, so . . ." Barry trailed off, looking away from Joe. He knew he should've told his dad; he just couldn't. Just like he couldn't tell-

 

Iris turned to her father. "Dad, can you give us a minute?"

 

Joe looked between Iris and Barry awkwardly before getting up, muttering something about coffee. When they were alone, Iris gave Barry a look. He knew that look. It was Iris's start-talking-or-I'll-make-you-talk look. It was a look that had gotten him to admit way too many things throughout their long friendship.

 

"Look Iris, I know that this is . . . nuts, that's the only word I can think of right now," Barry began, shaking his head "but it's not like I've never done anything dangerous before."

 

"I get why you're doing this. Innocent people are in danger. It's always been the direction you've run in, even when you ran a little bit slower." Both of them gave a small chuckle before she continued. "I just, I want to make sure you're not doing this because you're trying to run from the things that are bothering you."

 

"This isn't about Oliver. It's not. I mean of course, things are a little weird between us recently, but I know what I have here. I love my life, I love my job, being the Flash. I love you and Joe." Barry stared at Iris intently, making sure she heard what he was saying. "I'm not trying to escape. I promise."

 

Iris took a breath. "Go win, Barry. And then come home."

 

* * *

 

 

That night, so late it was actually early, Barry laid in bed, unable to sleep. It wasn't for the usual reasons, pain felt from Oliver's nightly excursions as the Green Arrow or from the nightmares of Zoom killing everyone he loved. No, it wasn't that that was keeping him awake. It was the guilt. Guilt from not telling the person he cared most about that he was leaving, that there was a chance he'd never see him again.

 

Barry rolled onto his side, trying to force himself to sleep. It didn't work. Not for the first time, he cursed his inability to take over the counter sleep aids, since his metabolism burned through them so fast he didn't even feel drowsy. He needed to sleep, if only to keep himself awake while they were on Earth 2.

 

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He reached for his cellphone, scrolling through his contacts until he came to the number he was searching for. Hitting 'call,' he waited as the line rang once, twice, three times before the familiar tones of Oliver's voicemail sounded.

 

" _You've reached Oliver Queen. Leave a message_."

 

There was a beep, and Barry started talking. "Hey, Ollie. I was calling to let you know you won't hear from me for the next few days. We think we have a way to stop Zoom. And, um, I just wanted to say . . . you know you mean a lot to me, right? Like, a lot a lot. And I'm sorry I've been distant ever since the singularity and Zoom and even back with the Reverse Flash." Barry paused, taking a deep breath. "I really wish I'd left Central City after Dr. Wells died, that I'd made good on my promise to move to Star City. I could've tried harder, could've done more. I guess what I'm trying to say is I think I lo-"

 

There was a beep, cutting off what Barry was about to say. It was for the best, he supposed. The worst way to tell someone you thought you might be in love with them was on a voicemail. He just had to make it back, come back alive and tell Oliver in person.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning - or later that morning, depending on how you looked at it - Barry, Cisco, and Wells stood in front of the Speed Cannon. This was it. They were about to go to Earth 2. Barry wasn't sure if he was excited or scared. Probably something in between, if he was going to be honest with himself.

 

"You get yourself back here in one piece, alright? Don't make me come and get you," Joe said before wrapping Barry in a strong hug.

 

Barry smiled, returning the hug with just as much strength, if not more. When they let go, he looked Joe in the eye. "If something goes wrong - I said if," he added, seeing the look on his face, "you've got to tell Oliver what happened to me, alright? I don't want him wondering where I am or why I left."

 

Joe sighed. "You know I don't like that lunatic."

 

"I know, and I don't really care. You have to tell him. Promise me."

 

"I promise. But don't do anything that's gonna make me have to fulfill that promise, you hear me?"

 

Barry nodded before heading over to the Speed Cannon. As he was walking, he heard Cisco ask Caitlin to deliver the letter he'd written his family and Lisa - an odd soulmate pairing if there ever was one, but then again, Barry had figured out who his soulmate was when said soulmate tried to strangle him, so who was he to complain? The letter was a good idea, he realized. There was probably so much Cisco had to tell the other people in his life, so many secrets he was keeping. Barry felt horrible. If something went wrong, Cisco would never get the chance to tell those people the truth in person. He'd just have to do everything in his power to make sure that didn't happen.

 

With a rush of light, the Speed Cannon was turned on, revealing the swirling blue breech. Barry put a hand on Wells' and Cisco's shoulders. This was it. No turning back now.

 

"Okay," he breathed. "Let's go."

 

* * *

 

 

"Holy 2001," Cisco gasped as they landed on Earth 2. "I feel like I just opened my third eye."

 

Barry would've made some quip back, probably tease Cisco that his vibes seemed to have done a good job of that already, but he was too busy feeling . . . off. Something wasn't right. There was this empty feeling in his chest, in his heart, like something was missing that should be there. But he could feel his heart thumping away, pulse steady and strong. There shouldn't be anything wrong. He just couldn't shake that empty feeling.

 

They walked through the strange, vintage-yet-futuristic mirror of their Earth on their way to S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry joined Cisco in marveling at the impressive tech they passed, posing for a selfie in front of the stylized logo on the wall. It would've been perfect, if only he could get rid of that horrible feeling in his chest.

 

After meeting Henry Hewitt's way too nice doppelganger, they followed Wells up to his office. Barry had never been in this part of their S.T.A.R. Labs before. Dr. Wells had never really used his office after the particle accelerator exploded. There hadn't really been a need. There was a news report playing as they walked in.

 

"Mayor Snart?" Cisco echoed after the name was mentioned. "Lisa's the mayor here?"

 

"Maybe Leonard is," Barry said. "Hey, Harry, which is it?"

 

"It doesn't matter. Things are worse than when I left. Zoom's turned up his reign of terror."

 

Cisco tried vibing, but to no avail. The frequencies of the two dimensions were too different. His goggles didn't work on Earth 2. What were they going to do now? There was no way to find Zoom, no way to - was that him?

 

Barry blinked and, sure enough, that was him on the TV. Or at least, his Earth 2 counterpart. What was up with that hairstyle? And a bowtie? Really? But that gave him an idea. He raced from the room, returning within seconds with the not-him at his side. He almost had to laugh at the expression of pure, unadulterated shock on his doppelganger's face when he saw him.

 

The urge to laugh kind of died when he realized just what a dork this version of him was. Sure, he'd been a fan of Dr. Wells, but he hadn't had any of his papers laminated. Barry was almost grateful when Wells tossed him the taser and distracted his counterpart so he could knock him out. And people said _he_ was too awkward. With his doppelganger unconscious, he swapped clothes so he could infiltrate Earth 2 CCPD and find out what they knew about Zoom.

 

* * *

 

 

How did alternate him stand wearing that stupid bowtie all the time? And wow, he was blind. It was a wonder Barry was able to see where he was going with his doppelganger's glasses on. He was going to have such a headache later. But from what he could tell, CCPD looked basically the same, if a little more vintage than the one on Earth 1, but that was to be expected.

 

What wasn't expected was Captain Singh being a gangster or Deadshot being a detective. Or Iris being Detective West. That was actually the biggest surprise. Or it was until he followed her into the hallway and she tried to kiss him.

 

"What are you doing?!" Barry said, trying to push her back. What the hell?

 

"What? I think a little office PDA between husband and wife is okay," she said with a smile as she straightened the lapels on his coat.

 

"Husband and wife?" Gross! Iris was like his sister!

 

Wait, if Iris was his wife, did that mean she was his soulmate on this Earth? But that wouldn't explain the empty feeling in his chest. Surely the soul bond would've transferred over to Iris the moment he stepped foot on Earth 2. Unless someone could only have one soulmate at a time. But there were multiple reports of people having more than one soulmate. Maybe Earth 2 just didn't recognize him as Iris's soulmate. Yeah, maybe that was it. He was from a different Earth, so maybe his soul bond was just . . . untethered here.

 

Still, Iris? She was basically his sister. Hopefully she wouldn't try any more coupley things with him before he could leave.

 

* * *

 

 

After a tear-jerker of a conversation with his mom, who had never been killed on this Earth, Barry followed Iris to Earth 2's version of Jitters, a jazz lounge called Jitterbugs. Joe was standing at the mic, singing a song Barry vaguely recognized from one of his Joe's vinyl records. He hadn't known Joe had such a great voice.

 

But Joe didn't seem to like him, telling Barry to call him Joseph and calling him Bartholomew, which his Joe knew he hated. Maybe this Joe knew it too and insisted on it anyway. Barry sat across from him, staring at him with wide eyes. Even if this Joe didn't like him, it was still amazing to see him like this.

 

"So, you're a singer," Barry said, smile on his face. His Joe had always liked singing, so it was kind of nice to know that that was a constant.

 

"So you're still an idiot," Joe said in return.

 

Barry laughed awkwardly. "Are you upset with me? Or you just don't like me."

 

"Have you lost your mind? Central City's going to hell in a handbasket because this lunatic Zoom is running around killing folks and you've got my daughter on the front lines."

 

Barry frowned. "Wait, me?"

 

Joe scooted to the edge of his chair and pointed a finger at Barry. "It has always been about you, Bartholomew. You're the most selfish person I've ever met, and I'm a musician; we're all selfish. You wanted to get your PhD so you could further your career, so she had to become a police officer to pay your tuition. We both know she'd be safer going back to writing at the newspaper."

 

What? The most selfish person he'd ever met? Was it true? How could this version of him be so different from himself?

 

"Dad, please stop," Iris interrupted before Joe could say more. "CCPN was an internship. All I did was get coffee for real writers. Being a cop like grandpa is what I love." She took a seat before continuing. "You raised me to be tough, and I am."

 

 

Joe took a swig of his drink before heading back over to the mic, starting up a new song. While he was gone, Barry turned to Iris.

 

"So, can we talk more about why Joseph doesn't like me?" he asked.

 

"What's there to talk about? I mean, you can't stand him either. Dad doesn't like that I married you instead of Eddie, and you don't like that he keeps asking where your soulmate is. Look, I can love you both, even if you don't love each other."

 

Iris moved in to kiss him, and Barry almost sighed in relief when she was distracted by her metahuman warning app. That relief vanished when the doppelgangers of Caitlin and Ronnie walked through the door.

 

They were metahumans, both of them. And they were looking for him.

 

* * *

 

 

After a fierce battle with Caitlin and Ronnie's doppelgangers that ended with Joe being rushed to the hospital, Barry raced back to S.T.A.R. Labs to tell Wells and Cisco what happened. Unfortunately, that just managed to make Wells mad. He spent way too much time being mad.

 

"Killer Frost and Deathstorm," Wells said when Barry gave him their description.

 

"You know them?"

 

"More importantly, they know you now; they know you're here."

 

"So Caitlin and Ronnie's doppelgangers are evil?" Cisco asked. "Those are some dope names though."

 

"This was supposed to be a surgical mission, Allen," Wells continued as if Cisco hadn't even spoken. "Find Zoom's lair, rescue Jessie, get in get out. _Not_ get involved."

 

Barry slid a hand down his face before saying "Well look, I am involved, okay? Joe's in the hospital. They nearly killed him."

 

"No, he isn't. Joe West, your Joe West, is alive and safe on your Earth," he countered. "So's Caitlin, so's Iris. These people, Barry, they're mirror reflections. As far as your life is concerned, they don't exist!"

 

Wells took a breath before adding "Killer Frost, Deathstorm, they know that you're here. Then it's not long before Zoom does too and then my daughter is dead. And that's on you."

 

Barry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Jessie still has time, okay? Iris and Joe need me now."

 

"She is not Iris!"

 

"She is Iris! Okay, she is to me. No matter what universe I'm in, they are my _family_. I would think by now you should get how important family is. I haven't felt right the entire time we've been here, but being with them? Being there for them? It makes the empty feeling in my chest go away a little bit. So I'm going, Wells. I have to."

 

Wells gave him a look of pure shock, followed by a strange sort of sympathy. But Barry didn't see it. He was already gone.

 

* * *

 

 

Joe was gone. Joe was gone, and there was nothing Barry could do about it except stand back and watch as Iris got ready to find the people who killed him. Thank god Cisco came in when he did. It was just rotten luck that he managed to startle Iris.

 

"This is my good friend, Cisco Ramon," Barry said, trying to placate Iris into putting away the blade she was threatening Cisco with. "Cisco works at S.T.A.R. Labs and he has built a weapon that he believes we can use to neutralize Killer Frost's powers."

 

"Great. Let me have it," Iris said, taking a hold of the case's handle. Cisco refused to let go, unwilling to relinquish his creation. "One of my snitches gave me a lead on Killer Frost and Deathstorm's location. We're gonna bring them in."

 

"I'm coming with you, Iris," Barry said, looking at her.

 

"No, Barry. I just lost my father, I cannot lose my husband too."

 

Barry shook his head. "Alright, but Cisco's the only one who knows how to use the device, so you have to take him." He could just follow behind. Either way, he was going to be there for her.

 

"I can't put a civilian in harm's way."

 

Cisco held up a hand. "Look, I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I can handle myself." He paused, giving both of them an awkward look before continuing "Mrs. West-Allen." Cisco obviously thought it was as weird as Barry did.

 

Iris sighed before turning to Barry. "I love you," she said, grabbing his chin and pulling his face down far enough so she could kiss him. He tried not to pull away too quickly.

 

"I . . . love you too."

 

* * *

 

 

Barry awoke to the sound of tapping. Where was he? What happened?

 

Oh.

 

He had followed Cisco and Iris to the abandoned warehouse and got his ass handed to him by Deathstorm and Cisco's evil doppelganger, Reverb. The last thing he remembered was Zoom showing up. He must've been kidnapped while he was unconscious.

 

He shot to his feet, eyes scanning for both Zoom and the source of the tapping. While Zoom didn't appear to be in the room, there was a man in a similar cell to Barry right in front of him. He was wearing a strange iron mask and was tap tap tapping on the glass wall. Some sort of code?

 

Barry was distracted from the strange man by the sight of a young woman in another cell, just off to the side. He knew exactly who she was.

 

"Jessie? Jessie! Hey, I'm here with your dad. We're gonna get you out of here, I promise."

 

Before Jessie could say anything, before she even really had a chance to move to get a better look at Barry, the unthinkable happened. Zoom rushed into the room in a flash of eerie blue light, stopping inches from Barry.

 

"It's not wise to make promises you can't keep, Flash." His voice was the same gravelly rumble that haunted Barry's nightmares. "Look around. This is the last place you'll ever see."

 

* * *

 

 

Barry could not believe what he was hearing. Multiple Earths, another him that was the Flash (though that explained the person who looked like him that tasered him and switched their clothes), Zoom being after them . . . It was all too unreal. And yet, it also made the most sense out of anything he could think of.

 

Iris accepted it a lot easier than he did.

 

"So that's why you weren't wearing your wedding ring yesterday," she said, thinking aloud. "And that kiss was so, so . . ."

 

"Wait," Barry interrupted "I-I'm sorry. He got frisky with you? No no no no no. Okay, I'm gonna have to find this guy and give him a piece of my mind."

 

"Please," the man who introduced himself as Cisco snorted. "If anything, _Iris_ got frisky with _Barry_."

 

"Excuse me?" Iris did _not_ sound happy at that accusation.

 

"Oh come on, you didn't notice how uncomfortable our Barry was when you tried to kiss him? On Earth 1, you and he are basically like brother and sister. Even _I_ was feeling awkward watching you come onto him."

 

Barry shifted in his seat. He wasn't with Iris on the other Earth? He had never been with anyone but Iris. Not after feeling his soulmate die nearly ten years ago. He had never met them, never even knew their name. He had thought he'd be alone forever. Not many people were willing to be with someone other than their soulmate. But then Iris came into his life, made him smile and laugh in ways he hadn't been able to do in years. She had stayed with him, even after meeting her own soulmate, Eddie Thawne. They had decided they'd be better as friends, which was almost unheard of. Just thinking about it made the empty feeling Barry had carried in his heart since his soulmate died abate just a little bit.

 

He hoped that whoever his soulmate had been, they were alive on the other Earth and with the other Earth's Barry. At least one of them deserved the chance to know the person fate had deemed their perfect match.

 

* * *

 

 

Killer Frost was terrifying, even before she started throwing icicles at them. Barry was not ashamed to admit that he ran from her as quickly as he could. But with all the weapons they had pointed at her, she finally calmed down enough to let them interrogate her.

 

"Where is Zoom's lair?" Iris demanded, gun held dangerously close to Killer Frost's head.

 

"If I tell you, he will kill me."

 

Cisco scoffed, shaking his head. "He'll kill you anyway, Caitlin."

 

She glared at him with those icy eyes. "Stop calling me that. It's not my name."

 

"Yes, it is, you just don't wanna hear it because it reminds you of someone you used to be. Trust me, I know that person very well."

 

"You don't know anything about me."

 

Cisco pushed himself off of the tree he'd been leaning against and stepped closer to Killer Frost. "I know the Caitlin Snow on my Earth. I know that when she loves someone, that person is her world. That person was Ronnie Raymond. He died too."

 

Barry looked between them, saw the smallest glimmer of indecision in Killer Frost's eyes, and knew what he had to do. Swallowing down his fear, he moved to stand in front of her, forcing himself to meet her eyes.

 

"Deathstorm was your soulmate, wasn't he?" he asked softly.

 

Killer Frost nodded.

 

"You can feel that he's gone, can't you? It feels like your heart has been ripped right out of your chest, like you can't get enough air into your lungs. You feel like there's no reason to smile anymore, because all you can do is keep reliving his last few heartbeats. You wish that you could take his place, that you had been the one to die, but you also feel like that's the most selfish thing you could wish for, because then he'd be feeling what you are right now."

 

Barry had to take a deep breath before he could continue. "I know what you're feeling, because I feel that every single day. My soulmate died years ago. I never even got to meet them. So I don't know who or what took them from me, but you know what took Deathstorm from you. _Zoom_ took him from you. Dr. Wells' daughter, the other me, Zoom is going to take them away from the people they care about, just like he took Deathstorm from you. He is going to make others feel the same way you and I feel. All you have to do is tell us where he's keeping them, and then you'll never hear from us again. Then you can go. Find someone who can help make the emptiness a little less empty. Please."

 

Barry could have sworn there were tears in Killer Frost's eyes as she said "Fine. I'll show you where it is." She got to her feet, brushing past him. "But that's it."

 

"Where are we going?" Dr. Wells asked.

 

"Ascension Cliffs."

 

They followed her in silence for a while, before Iris slowed down and fell to the back of the group, tugging Barry along with her. His brows furrowed in confusion at the strange intensity in her gaze.

 

"Why didn't you tell me you felt like that?" Iris asked softly.

 

Oh. "It wasn't important. You make me happy, Iris. When I'm with you, I don't feel it as much."

 

"Barry, you never even told me your soulmate was dead. You said they left you!"

 

He shook his head. "What was the point? Dead, gone, left . . . They all mean the same thing. I didn't want you to pity me."

 

"Barry . . ."

 

Before Iris could say more, they arrived at the base of the cliffs. Time to save the other Barry.

 

* * *

 

 

Zoom's lair was seriously creepy. Then again, Barry wasn't sure if it was creepy because it was creepy, or if it was creepy because it was Zoom's. The steep climb up the ice hadn't helped much. But they made it, which was all that mattered.

 

Cisco ran to the glass cage that held the Barry from Earth 1. Looking at him, in that unseemly tight suit, it was hard to imagine that this was him from another world. He would never wear anything like that!

 

"How did you find this place?" the other Barry asked.

 

"Had some help," Cisco said, gesturing toward Killer Frost. "And don't even get me started on this guy." He gestured to Barry, who waved at his double awkwardly. This was so strange! And what did Cisco mean, don't get him started on him?

 

Dr. Wells bypassed them all, rushing toward his daughter. With Killer Frost's help, he managed to free her from both the cage and the chains keeping her prisoner. Barry smiled, right up until she tried freezing the glass cage the other Barry was stuck in.

 

"Why isn't it working?" Iris demanded.

 

"I don't know," Killer Frost snapped. "I've never had this problem before."

 

Dr. Wells came over and examined the glass. "Carbine. It's some form of carbine. The cell is made of some form of carbine. You'll never be able to freeze him out of there."

 

"You can't phase out of there?" Cisco asked.

 

The other Barry shook his head. "Just go, alright? Before Zoom comes back."

 

"We're not leaving you here!"

 

"I can't get out of this cell. I've tried. A lot. I'm not fast enough to phase through this. You got - Just leave, alright?" He looked around helplessly. "Just leave. And tell Oliver I'm sorry. I'm sorry I never got to tell him how I feel."

 

Barry shook his head and started pushing his way through the group of people crowded in front of the cell. "Do you know what we did to get here, Barry? We convinced her, Killer Frost, to show us the way. Then we climbed some insanely steep cliffs outside on footholds made of ice. Ice! And all of us risked our lives, knowing Zoom was after us, to rescue Jessie and you."

 

He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Now, I don't know you. And you don't know me. But I can tell you that today, I did things that I never thought possible, because I needed to prove to my wife, and to myself, that I could. And now if I can do the impossible today, so can you. I'm just Barry Allen, but you're the Flash. If you tell yourself you can phase out of there, you'll do it. And then you can get back to this Oliver and tell him yourself."

 

The other Barry nodded, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. He pressed a hand against the glass and it began vibrating so fast Barry almost couldn't see it. It was amazing, watching this other him, watching him push himself to believe he could do the impossible. And then, just as doubt was beginning to flicker across some of their faces, the other Barry pushed through the glass and stepped out the other side. He did it!

 

There wasn't much time to cheer and congratulate him, because just as soon as they started toward the exit, Zoom appeared.

 

"Thank you for bringing them to me," he growled in Killer Frost's direction.

 

"You double-crossed us?" Barry asked, voice weak with surprise. "He killed your soulmate!"

 

"Guess I'm just too cold to care."

 

Zoom rushed forward, grabbing Jessie by the back of her shirt. "I told you I'd kill you in front of your father."

 

Before he could so much as begin to vibrate his hand, Zoom was hit with a burst of ice that knocked him off his feet.

 

"Get out of here," Killer Frost commanded as she stormed up to Zoom. She started blasting him with even more ice, a steady stream of cold flowing from her hands. "You were right," she told Barry "he killed my soulmate."

 

"Thank you."

 

* * *

 

 

When they got back to S.T.A.R. Labs, the other Barry approached him and Iris.

 

"You guys need to get out of Central City, alright? Maybe go to Star City, stay with the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen?"

 

Barry frowned at his counterpart. "Oliver Queen? No, the Star City vigilante is Robert Queen. His son died ten . . . years . . . ago . . . Oh my god."

 

Oliver Queen was the Oliver the other Barry had been talking about. Oliver Queen died right around the time Barry felt his soulmate die. Oliver Queen had been Barry's soulmate.

 

The other Barry looked taken aback. "Ollie is dead? That's why . . ."

 

"Why you feel so awful?" he finished for him. "Yeah."

 

"I thought it was just because I was on a new Earth." He shook his head, probably to try and clear his thoughts. Barry did the same thing sometimes. "Anyway, so that's out. Any place you think you'll be safe from Zoom?"

 

"We have some family in Atlantis that can help us," Iris supplied.

 

The other Barry nodded to her before looking at Barry. "You may not have been struck by lightning over here like I was, but today you risked your life to save somebody you didn't even know. That's a hero, Barry. Thank you both."

 

Barry gave his counterpart a soft smile. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me who my soulmate was. It's nice, not having that mystery weigh down on me anymore."

 

They said their goodbyes quickly, rushing out of the building. He hoped the other Barry got home safe to his Oliver.

 

* * *

 

 

"Barry!"

 

Barry looked up from the evidence he had been processing in his lab and saw Oliver standing in the doorway.

 

It had been nearly three weeks since the trip to Earth 2. Three weeks since he'd met his doppelganger. Three weeks since they lost Jay. Three weeks since he'd learned what it felt like to live without his soulmate. He hadn't talked about it to anyone, none of it. He hadn't even called Oliver since the night before he left. Oh god, what had Oliver felt when he'd been gone? Had he felt that same horrible emptiness that Barry had felt on Earth 2?

 

"Barry?" Oliver's voice was much closer this time. Barry blinked and found the reason Oliver sounded closer was because he was standing right in front of him. "Barry, are you okay? I haven't heard from you for a while."

 

"Yeah, it's just, things have been super busy over here," he lied. "Sorry. I should've called."

 

Oliver nodded, reaching out and placing a hand over Barry's. "Yeah, you should've. Especially since the last call I got from you made it sound like you weren't sure you'd ever see me again. What happened?"

 

He huffed a small, humorless laugh. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

 

"Try me."

 

Barry looked into Oliver's eyes, saw the worry swirling in their depths, and knew he had to tell him. "Well, what do you know about parallel universes?"

 

The whole story poured out of him, from the terrible feeling he felt the moment his feet touched the ground of Earth 2, the frankly disturbing relationship his doppelganger had with Iris, the attacks committed by the counterparts of his friends, the pain of watching Joe die even though it wasn't his Joe, getting kidnapped by Zoom, the man in the mask, meeting his doppelganger, to finally learning that the horrible emptiness in his chest had been because Oliver had died on the _Queen's Gambit_.

 

Oliver listened to everything with an intensity he usually reserved for his work as the Green Arrow. When Barry finished, his light grip on Barry's hand tightened comfortingly.

 

"Barry, look at me. I'm not dead. I'm right here, alive, and really curious as to what you had been about to say on that voicemail when you were cut off."

 

He took a breath, staring at Oliver. "I think you know."

 

"Tell me anyway."

 

Barry leaned forward, so close his lips were almost touching Oliver's, and whispered "I love you, Oliver."

 

He felt more than saw Oliver's smile. "I love you too, Barry."

 

* * *

 

 

It had been a few weeks since Barry and Iris had gotten word that Zoom was gone for good. They had returned home to Central City, settled back into their routines, but it wasn't until after Joseph's funeral that Barry started thinking about his soulmate.

 

The Barry from Earth 1 had said that his soulmate was Oliver Queen. And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense for that to be true for the both of them. If the people on both Earths were the same, then why wouldn't their soulmates be the same? It took a while for him to decide what to do, but once he had, he knew it was something he had to do.

 

When he told Iris what he was going to do, she told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't going through it alone.

 

"We're in this together," she told him. "You and me. I'm not letting you do this by yourself."

 

That's how Barry found himself standing in front of a gravestone marked 'Oliver Jonas Queen' a few days later, Iris standing a few paces behind.

 

"Hey," he said lamely, staring at the stone as if the person it was for could hear him. He knew Oliver wasn't even there, that his body was somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, but somehow he felt as though he would hear him if he just talked long enough.

 

"So, you don't know me, but my name is Barry Allen. I'm from Central City. The thing is, I think we were soulmates. And I'm not saying that because you were famous or anything. I don't really care about fame all that much. A few weeks ago, I met someone who came from another version of Earth, like a parallel dimension. He was me, actually. And he said that on his Earth, his soulmate is the you from over there. I know, I know this sounds crazy, and to be honest, if I hadn't lived it I wouldn't believe it either, but it's true."

 

Barry paused to take a stuttering breath, trying to calm himself. This was harder than he had thought it would be.

 

"I wish I had gotten the chance to meet you. I wish I had gotten the chance to know who you were before you died, to have known the name and face of the person fate had tied me to before you were lost to me forever. But I'm also kind of grateful I never met you, because if I had, I never would have gotten the chance to fall in love with my wife. I would have been mourning someone close to me, would have been too wrapped up in my own grief to have seen her. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, this is hello, but it's also goodbye. Goodbye, Oliver."

 

Barry turned and walked back to Iris, wiping at the tears that had slipped down his face. Even though he was crying, his heart felt just a tiny bit lighter. He hadn't known how much he had needed to be able to say goodbye.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I know that the Queen’s had that little private cemetery in their backyard, but I couldn’t think of a not-awkward way to have Earth 2 Barry visit it, so just imagine Oliver’s grave in a semi-public cemetery for rich people. There are cemeteries like that, right? Eh, whatever. Thanks for reading!


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